Peruse
by Amethyst Star1
Summary: Chapter 7 up! Kavel, a blind girl from Zion, had plugs surgically placed in her head and arm in hopes that she would be able to see in the Matrix. Now that Morpheus has allowed her on his ship will she be able to see? (Note: More interesting than sounds)
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own the Matrix, Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, or Link. I don't own Jake, who you will learn more about later. I own Kavel, Net, and Kavel's mother, Natha.  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
-----"No, it was not fun. It hurt like crap!"  
  
-----"Well, I hope you think it was worth it."  
  
-----"Oh, just cut it out with all the 'it's never been done so you could have been killed or ended up like a vegetable' aphorism. I've heard it from nearly everyone I've come in contact with and I don't think I can stand hearing it any more."  
  
-----"You still don't know if it'll even work."  
  
-----"If it doesn't, then I'll spend the rest of my life with these memories of dashed hope and a couple of holes on my body. It's no great loss."  
  
-----Kavel Drogen added her last statement with the flair of drama just to prove her point that she'd already thought of all of the possibilities of what could happen. Her spot on the chair had finally changed to the temperature of her body and was no longer uncomfortably cold. Her observation made her think about just how much she wished she had in life. The least they could do, she thought, is accommodate my other senses. I can still feel everything just fine. She ran her hands over the arm rests and hissed quietly as she felt the cold metal chill her hands.  
  
-----"Can we at least get some sort of covering for these armrests?" she asked her mother.  
  
-----"When your father finds a job again we'll get you your own chair. Until then, you'll have to do make due with what we have," her mother replied as she walked around the room. She walked from one end to the other and continued to do so as she wondered what would become of their family should their luck not turn sometime soon.  
  
-----"Will you stop pacing?" Kavel said after a couple of minutes of hearing the sound of feet falling heavily on their metal floor. "It's giving me a headache." Momentarily the sound stopped but resumed after an aggravated sigh. "We'll be fine. Relax!"  
  
-----Kavel's mother stopped again and faced her daughter. "How could you possibly know what I'm thinking?"  
  
-----Kavel, irritated, stood up off of the chair and, knowing her mother was close, reached out a hand, grabbed a handful of her mother's coat, and pulled her close. "Your footfall says irritated, your pace says contemplation, your sighs say you fear something, your breathing pattern suggests stress, and if I let you pace long enough you start to speak out loud. You don't pace unless you're worrying about this family. I'm not anywhere near stupid."  
  
-----Kavel took off her sunglasses and opened her eyelids. Her mother had never grown entirely accustomed to the irises of her daughter's eyes, her one mark of the disease which had afflicted her daughter seventeen years ago. Their brilliant purple coloring seemed to take on a metallic sheen and reflected the lights of the room whenever her emotions were loosed.   
  
-----"Kavel," was all her mother could say. She knew that her daughter was smart; smarter than the majority of people she knew. She had a great talent for languages, but her inability to remember what she learned in school was more than made up for by her ability to judge people and situations based on what she heard, felt, tasted, smelled, and was told to her by others. She was able to remember the patterns of movement and speech that others possessed and was often able to recognize a person if she heard the fall of a sigh or smelled a puff of air emitted from a person's mouth.  
  
-----Kavel was silent and blinked slowly simply for effect. She knew that her eyes were different than all others from hearing comments made by her friends and those around her. She was glad to be observed for them rather than pitied for her infirmity. After another series of moments passed, she released her mother and stepped closer to embrace her. "I know," she replied, and she did know what her mother was experiencing. Their minds always think alike, she had concluded when she thought about the thought processes of Zionists.  
  
-----"Our family will be fine." As an afterthought, she added, "I will be fine; you will be fine; dad will be fine."  
  
-----Kavel's mother hugged her daughter and tears slowly began to drip down from her face and onto Kavel's mousy, short brown hair. Even though she doubted her daughter's words, she knew in her heart that they were true. They always were. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen in the next months if her husband couldn't find work.  
  
In the same soft tone that she had acquired, she said soothingly, "Dad's back will heal and his scars will fade. He'll be off working before long."  
  
As Kavel stood there, she doubted her own words, but as long as it comforted her mother, that was all that mattered. As long as everyone else was in as good of spirits as she could make it, she felt better. She stood with her mother for at least several minutes, allowing her to vent, before she slowly pulled away and went off to her bedroom, her hand lightly touching the cold wall to make sure she went in the right direction. Once she arrived in her room, she shut the door quietly, took off her shoes, and lied down on her bed, throwing the thin blankets over her shoulders. After popping a sleeping pill into her mouth, she clutched at the soft stuffed pet that a friend had once given to her. She found so tactiley pleasing every time she touched it and it helped to alleviate some of the pain her implants on her upper neck and right arm were causing her now.  
  
-----With the pet nestled in the crook of her left elbow, she fell asleep. Instead of normal dreams, her dreams consisted of imaginary voices telling her what was going on during adventures combined with intoxicating smells, new feelings, and lively tastes. Though her dreams were rarely dull or nightmarish, she always woke up feeling that something was lacking.  
  
-----~Well~ she thought when she woke up later ~that is about to change…at least I hope so.~  
  
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-----"You look terrible,"  
  
-----"Thanks, Morpheus. I feel worse than I look, though."  
  
-----"I would imagine."  
  
-----"I appreciate you coming down here?"  
  
-----"It's no problem. I told Switch I'd look in on you and your family from time to time."  
  
-----"She'd probably be thanking you, too, if she were here."  
  
-----"I know."  
  
-----Morpheus looked down at the man in the hospital bed, his body mostly stuck in a cast and his skin pale and covered with sweat. He looked (and smelled) as if he hadn't taken a bath in several days, but it could not be helped. He'd received word about Net's injury the day before and had hurried to get his ship back to Zion as quickly as possible, just in case the situation was more serious than he had been told.  
  
-----"So," Net asked in a conversational tone, "how's the ship?"  
  
-----"It's operating well enough. Our new Operator is learning well enough, though we still have a few kinks to work out."  
  
-----"I heard about a mind you tried to free a while ago. Is it alright?"  
  
-----"Yah. I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but she's awake and doing well. I'm actually hoping that she'll join our ship, considering the fact that she's a wiz when it comes to scrutinizing and conjecturing."  
  
-----"Scrutinizing and conjecturing what?"  
  
"Well, anything."  
  
"Hmm." He paused for a moment. "So, you're taking on new recruits?"  
  
"A couple. We've picked up Link to be our operator, and two others, and now Jake. I think we'll have enough room for one or two more if we get sent out on enough missions and need them."  
  
-----"Well, anything." He paused for a moment. "So, you're taking on new recruits?"  
  
-----"A couple. We've picked up Link to be our operator and two others, and now Jake. I think we'll have enough room for two more if we get sent out on enough missions and need them."  
  
-----Net nodded but he secretly thought about his daughter. She was supposed to be home today after the last precautions were taken to make sure the implants wouldn't get infected. He knew that she would be alright, but he hoped that what she had endured would be worth her hopes and suffering. Born in Zion, he was somewhat glad to know that she would never be stuck in the Matrix, but his view had now changed when he realized that this could be her only opportunity to experience the wonders of sight. Feeling that he could trust a friend of his sister, Switch, he began to steer the direction of the conversation towards his daughter.  
  
-----"Have you heard about Kavel?"  
  
-----"Kavel?" Morpheus asked, unsure what Net was trying to get at.  
  
-----"My daughter."  
  
-----"Oh, she's blind, if I remember correctly."  
  
-----"Yes she is." He saw Morpheus give him a sympathetic look. "She…um…went in for surgery a couple weeks ago."  
  
-----"For her eyes?  
  
-----"Yah."  
  
-----"Were they able to help her?"  
  
-----He paused. "Well, sort of…I think." He saw a puzzled look on Morpheus's face and continued. She has implants in her head and right arm now."  
  
-----Morpheus's eyes grew wide with mild shock and curiosity. He had never heard of people having implants artificially placed on them for any reason. "Why would she do that?"  
  
-----"She thought that even if she can't see here in the real world, she might be able to see in the Matrix. It's been the only hope she's had to cling to that she might be able to see some day."  
  
-----"Has she tried different surgeries? I'm sure that one of those would have worked."  
  
-----"She's tried everything available. Every transplant or laser surgery or medication has had no effect because of the disease she was born with. The doctors still don't know what it is." He saw a look of contemplation cross Morpheus's face. "I don't think she'd have any desire to live much longer unless there was a chance for her to see someday. As I said, it's the only hope she has right now."  
  
-----Morpheus immediately thought of a whole cluster of things that could go wrong, but he didn't voice them for fear that Net would dash the man's hopes of his daughter being able to see. For some reason, it seemed that he was hanging on the same hopes just as strongly as he said that Kavel was. Through the dozen or so reasons he thought of for keeping Kavel out of the Matrix, he also felt that he couldn't leave him or his daughter to find them out on their own. Without letting Net know what he was contemplating, he spoke in a steady tone.  
  
-----"If she is to go into the Matrix, the safest possible way would be with my crew. We've got some of the best equipment, the best personnel, and Neo."  
  
-----At Neo's name, Net perked up. "You'd help her for me?"  
  
----- ~I'm beginning to regret that promise, Switch,~ he thought. "I might as well. I don't know a whole lot of other captains who would take her with them."  
  
-----An almost visible wave of relief washed over Net. His daughter would be fine, and with the legendary Neo, as safe as humanly possible. "When do you set out again?"  
  
-----"In the next couple of days or so. I'll stop by your house and inform her myself if you like."  
  
-----"I would be indebted to you if you would."  
  
-----"Very well." Eager to get the meeting over with, he stood up and said, "I wish you a speedy recovery, Net."  
  
-----"Thanks for stopping by."  
  
-----"No problem. See you later."  
  
-----"Bye."  
  
-----Morpheus walked out of the room with his hands in his pockets. Though he was reluctant to do so, he knew that it was too late to back out of his commitment. He remembered the way to Net's home and so as soon as he walked out of the infirmary, he motioned for a waiting Trinity and Neo to follow him. Their return had not been announced and so he hoped that they would no be stopped by anyone while they were there. He took one of the elevators up about forty or so floors and got out when he was certain that it was the right one. During their escalation, he told the two about Kavel and what he thought about the situation.  
  
-----"She doesn't have to go directly into the machine's world the first time," Neo pointed out. His first experience with the Matrix – besides exiting it – had not been directly in the machine's world. "We can set her up in the construct and maybe see if someone can write a program that would slowly allow her to adjust to sight."  
  
-----"It wouldn't take very long, I don't think," Trinity added.  
  
-----Morpheus wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself. Neo's suggestion now helped to alleviate the majority of fears that he had had about Kavel and he smiled. "Thanks for the suggestion. I probably would have had a seizure trying to think of a way to put her in the Matrix safely."  
  
-----"Sometimes the simple explanations are the hardest to discover," Trinity commented with a smile of her own.  
  
-----Later, when they came to the door of Net's home, Morpheus paused for only a moment before knocking. 


	2. Chapter 2: Preparation

Chapter 2  
  
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-----"Who could that be?"  
  
-----"I'm not sure, Kavel. Your father's supposed to be home in a week and not before."  
  
-----Kavel felt her way to the door, taking each step with an automatic amount of care to make sure that she didn't run into anything. As soon as she felt the cold metal of the door handle, she stopped and said, "Who's there?"  
  
-----"Captain Morpheus of the Nebuchadnezzar," came a low, pleasant sounding voice. "I'm here to talk to Kavel Drogen."  
  
-----"Holy crap!" Kavel exclaimed and threw open the door. As she did, she felt the rush of air being pulled into the room, and she sensed that Morpheus was not alone. "Who else is there with you?"  
  
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-----Morpheus looked at the girl who stood before him. She was only slightly shorter than him with a strong, wiry frame that showed that she was physically fit despite her infirmity. She kept her eyes closed but that was expected. He would be surprised to come across a blind person who kept his or her eyes open.  
  
He was surprised, though, when he saw her identify the presence of multiple people. "How can you tell I'm not alone?"  
  
-----"Air currents," Kavel replied with a slight inclination of her head. "I feel the air rush in the doorway and could feel the air streams made by the presence of more than one person."  
  
-----Morpheus smiled and looked back at the two people behind him. "That's rather impressive. Behind me are two of my crew: Trinity and Neo."  
  
-----Kavel seemed to rise up in surprise as she said, quieter than the last time, "Triple holy crap!" Her jaw dropped to the floor as she thought, This is the single coolest thing that's ever happened to me. No other words would come reliably to her lips. Instead, she held out her hand a little bit away from herself and soon felt it gripped in a firm handshake. When the hand was released, it was gripped by another. Neo, probably, she thought, judging by the texture of the skin and pressure of his grip. "Neo," she said. Then Trinity took hold of her hand and she was able to feel the softer skin on her hand. "Trinity."  
  
-----"How could you tell?" Trinity asked her. Both she and Neo were as equally surprised as Morpheus was at her talents.  
  
-----"It's the skin, the pressure of the grip, and the smell coming off of your body. Girls just seem to smell differently than men."  
  
-----"That they do," Trinity agreed with a grin. Still holding Kavel's hand, she turned it to see the bandage that covered the plug that had been implanted upon her forearm. "Did it hurt when you had the implants put in?"  
  
-----"Like nothing else I'd ever felt before." She let go of Trinity's hand, turned around, and held up her brown hair so that the three could see the bandage over the plug in the back of her head. "It still hurts because the skin is still trying to heal over it. I was given some pills for pain, but I'm having to use them less and less.  
  
-----Morpheus nodded and then noticed Kavel's mother walk up behind her. "You must be Mrs. Drogen."  
  
-----"You may call me Natha." She, too, exchanged handshakes with the three. "Would you like to come in?"  
  
-----"Yes, thank you." The three of them entered and when they had all sat down, Morpheus began to speak. "I spoke with Marshael and he told me about your daughter and what she's trying to do. I don't know how many captains would be willing to take her onto their ship and since I was here, I thought it would be best for her to join us."  
  
-----"Seriously?" Kavel exclaimed.  
  
-----"Yes. We have some of the best equipment and the best crew in all of Zion and so you'd be perfectly safe and have the highest chance of success."  
  
-----Morpheus's words made her realize that she was, at that time, more exciting to be meeting the three before her than the prospect of being able to see. She kept silent, though, not quite sure if she should thank him or start pummeling him and the others with questions about…everything. It was her mother that then said, "So, she will be going with you?"  
  
-----"Yes, that is correct."  
  
-----"When?"  
  
-----"When we leave Zion. Our plan for departure is early tomorrow morning and so she will need to get packed before too much time passes."  
  
-----"She can probably come with us tonight," Trinity included. "It might be a good idea to get her acclimated to the ship and get her a place to sleep on board. We can also introduce her to the rest of the crew."  
  
-----"I can't thank you enough."  
  
-----Though the others saw Natha as a rather poised individual, Kavel noticed the subtle variances in her speech pattern. "Are you alright mom?"  
  
-----"Yes, dear, I'm fine." Natha sighed, knowing that she could not hide how she felt from her daughter. She looked directly at Morpheus and repeated, "I can't thank you enough for taking her with you?"  
  
-----"I made a promise to Switch that I would look in on your family and I intend to keep it."  
  
-----Then Natha turned to Neo and looked him straight in the eyes. "Your ship hasn't had the best reputation for keeping its crew alive." Her look softened, though, before she spoke again. "However, I have full confidence in its new crew members and in those who operate within the Matrix."  
  
-----Neo grew quite a bit nervous about being put on the spot by Natha, but he managed to keep his voice level as he said, "We'll do everything we can to make sure nothing goes wrong. I promise."  
  
-----"Well," Kavel said, finally deciding that she could trust herself to open her mouth, "I guess I'd better start packing." She left the room, carefully measuring her step and controlling her urge to bolt into her room and start throwing her belongings as fast as she could into a bag. She didn't own a whole lot except for a couple pairs of clothing – all in Zionist gray – and the shoes she had on her feet. Other than that, she had a set of six finger-knives and a ring made up of silver with a stone imbedded within it. She was told that it was an amethyst, but she had no way to make sure. The set of one-inch, razor sharp knives she fit into a small pouch which she hung about her neck under the shirt she wore and she put the ring on her right hand, making sure the stone on it was facing up.  
  
-----After making sure her guests were comfortable, Natha came in to assist her daughter. Kavel's clothing was all the same color in case a time arose where she had to dress herself and not have to worry about whether or not something matched. She came into the room only to see her daughter trying very hard not to start bouncing off of the walls. She shut the door.  
  
-----"I'll be fine, mom." Kavel knew that her mother would be lonely without her, but there was nothing to be done about her leaving. She could not in good conscience stay when she had the opportunity to do something no one had yet attempted to do. She had lived seventeen years without the ability to see what everyone else could see: colors, shapes, light, faces, even the cold metal that seemed to cover everything she touched. No amount of vocal descriptions could make her fully understand "purple" or "bright" or "shiny" or "mirroring." Now that she could, she would not stand by and let it pass her.  
  
-----"I know. I'm just not sure when you're going to be back or if I'll ever find out how you're doing or if anything happens. I'll be alone until next week."  
  
-----Kavel found her way to her mother by the sound of her voice and touched her on the shoulder. "Mom, go out and find some friends. It's about time I let you live a life without having to worry about me."  
  
-----"I just…" her mother began, but wasn't able to say what she wanted to say.  
  
-----"I'll find a way to get something to you to let you know how I'm doing. I'll be with the most famous ship to ever be manned in Zion's history and I think it was more than just a prophecy that gave them that reputation…and it's not like you're going to hand me off to another babysitter. Once I learn the basics onboard the ship, I could even have a certain degree of independence."  
  
-----"I don't see your reasoning in that."  
  
-----Kavel sighed. "A ship is a little bit smaller than Zion. Eventually, I will learn my way around and won't have to always have someone lead me like a pet like they do here. I could actually help, rather than consume resources for the rest of my life."  
  
-----"I hate logic."  
  
-----"So do I." With that said, she had her mother help her lift the pack onto her back and tied the straps that would keep it secure in case it threatened to fall off for any reason. A hug caused Kavel to feel the dampness of teardrops that her mother had shed.  
  
-----With a short and proper farewell, Kavel grabbed an opaque visor to cover her eyes and exited the room without having cried, knowing that if she started, she wouldn't be able to stop. "I'm ready," she told Morpheus as soon as she stepped out.  
  
-----"Then let's go," he replied. He stood up and began to walk out. Trinity followed him, but Neo allowed her to go first, closing the door as soon as she'd left.  
  
-----"Do you need a hand?"  
  
-----"For now," she replied and held out her hand. "It's hard to tell where someone's going when there's an echo all around. When we get a little further on, I'll be able to tell where you're walking by the sounds of either your footsteps or your talking."  
  
-----Neo nodded, but realizing that she couldn't see the gesture and said, "I see." He went on to say, "So, your name's Kavel?"  
  
-----"Yes, but my friends call me Amethyst."  
  
-----"For any particular reason?"  
  
-----Kavel removed the visor that covered her eyes and opened them. Turning her head to show him, she heard a startled breath come from him. "Now that is something I haven't seen before."  
  
-----Kavel closed her eyes and put the visor back on. "Neither have I," she said regretfully.  
  
-----Neo, feeling that he had accidentally offended her by bringing up her disability, quickly apologized. "I'm sorry."  
  
-----Kavel tightened her grip on Neo's hand. "Just so you know, I don't like apologies when it comes to people talking about sight. I've heard them all of my life and I just thought I'd let you know that they've grown somewhat…irritating."  
  
-----"Fair enough." Trinity and Morpheus both took notes on the conversation and decided not to try and make that mistake. "So do you prefer being called Kavel or Amethyst?"  
  
-----"Amethyst, or Ame' for short." She pronounced "Ame'" as if she were saying "Amy." "To tell you the truth, I don't know what an amethyst is, but I'd sure like to see one."  
  
-----"You will soon enough," Trinity said from in front of them. "We're having a program written to slowly introduce you to being able to see which will take you gradually through different stages."  
  
-----"A program? What kind of program?"  
  
-----Neo, who felt he could explain a little bit better from his experience, spoke up. "It's sort of like a computer program, only different. You'll feel like you're in reality, but you'll be in what's called the Construct where we can control the environment you're in and make sure you're not taking in too much."  
  
-----"Too much?"  
  
-----"Well," Trinity added, "if you could all of a sudden see everything, your heart rate might shoot up to a dangerous level and you could go into shock and that could lead to cardiac arrest or even put you in a coma. We don't really want that to happen and so we're going to start out with light variances and simple dark colors to gradually get you up to speed."  
  
-----"Will I ever go in the Matrix itself?"  
  
-----"That depends," Morpheus replied. "If I take you on as a member of my crew, then you probably will. If not, then it is not very likely."  
  
-----Amethyst nodded. "That's more than fair." Then she felt condensation beginning to build on Neo's hand and smelled a faint scent of sweat. She looked over at him and asked, "What are you thinking about?"  
  
-----"Why?" Neo replied.  
  
-----"You're sweating."  
  
-----Neo looked to Trinity, who looked to Morpheus, who signaled for him to tell her. As gently and generally as possible, he told her, "The plug on the back of your head will be your main connection to the Matrix. I just thought I'd tell you that a device is inserted into that plug and it probably won't be pleasant when you first feel it."  
  
-----"Will it be worse than having these plugs implanted in the first place?"  
  
-----"I don't know."  
  
-----"Well, I guess I'll find out." With a swish of her brown hair, she quickly said, "How about we change the subject and talk about something happier. What kind of food do you have on the ship?" She heard a sigh come from all three. 


	3. Chapter 3: The Nebuchadnezzar

Chapter 3  
  
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"Ah! That's cold!"  
  
"That's the door."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Morpheus helped to lead her through the entrance and onto the Nebuchadnezzar, guiding her over the steps and under the top of the doorframe. Neo and Trinity followed behind her and she heard the heavy door shut as soon as they were through. Morpheus took her hand and carefully led her through the ridiculously narrow hallways until they came to a particular room. He opened the door and took her through, making sure she didn't hit her feet on the threshold.  
  
"This will be your bedroom," he told her.  
  
Amethyst breathed in the musty air of the room and began to slowly feel her way around. Directly to her right was obviously the bed, made up of a thin foam mattress covered by a couple of highly patched blankets. The only other furniture was a small table and stool. At first she wasn't sure what she would use it for, but she decided that it may eventually come in handy. Other than those was a small heater in a corner of the floor.  
  
She undid the straps of her pack, pulling apart the simple slipknots. Placing the pack on the bed she commented, "It's great…simple and against the wall."  
  
Morpheus put his hand on Amethyst's shoulder. "I'll lead you to the other parts of the ship so you can begin to learn your way around."  
  
"I'd learn faster if you told me which directions to go in, actually. I'd be able to count steps and feel for things on my own." She felt the hand on her shoulder leave and she cleared her mind of everything else so she could focus on his instructions.  
  
"Turn about forty-five degrees to your left." She did and Morpheus saw her find the door. Neo and Trinity, waiting outside of the door, made way for her. He saw Amethyst's hands go out, one to her right side and one in front of her, and she reached out, feeling the wall to her right. "Walk forward." Amethyst's steps were slow, measured, and smooth. "You'll have to walk over the doorway."  
  
Amethyst soon felt her left foot come in contact with the threshold and she stopped. Dragging her foot up over the metal, she placed in her mind just how high she would have to step in order to avoid any problems. "What's directly ahead of me?"  
  
"More sleeping quarters." He watched as she made her way to the other side of the hallway. He saw her mouth the words "three steps" as soon as her left hand made contact with the opposite wall. When she asked whose rooms they were, Morpheus said, "The one to your immediate right is Jaykalynn Smith's room. She's known as Jake. The one to your immediate left belongs to the twins aboard this ship, known as Binary and Code. The room adjacent to yours is my own, so if you have any questions or need any assistance, I'll be close by."  
  
"How many more bedrooms are there?"  
  
"Four. Down the hall to your left are Neo and Trinity's, Link's – our operator – and two others that had been previously occupied. The lavatory is in that hallway between the bedrooms. That corridor also leads to the mess hall."  
  
Amethyst decided not to ask why there were empty rooms; she knew they were dead now. "What about the hallway to my right?"  
  
"I'll tell you. Turn ninety degrees to the right." She started walking down the hallway, this time with both hands out to her side so she could feel both walls. "If you continue on this path, it will eventually lead you to the cockpit where I direct the ship. I'll take you there later."  
  
He spent the next half hour simply getting her down past the main deck and to the broadcasting station. Amethyst forced herself to try and remember every step that she took. It being her first time on a hovercraft in her life, she also did her best to recall every moment she spent there.  
  
While they were in the broadcasting area, Amethyst heard Morpheus say, "Code, can you make a program and have it ready within the next day or so."  
  
"What kind of program?" someone replied.  
  
"I'm going to need to introduce Amethyst to the world of sight." Amethyst heard a confused sound come from Code.  
  
"Is she blind or something," a rather snooty voice said.  
  
Before anyone could say anything, Amethyst took off her visor and flashed her eyes in the direction of the voice who had just spoken. She took a certain degree of satisfaction in the curse that flowed from that person's lips. "Maybe." Then she added with a nonchalant air, "You can call me Ame' if that's easier for you."  
  
"I didn't know you were blind. I'm-"  
  
Amethyst started to laugh quietly when she heard Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo quickly hush her. "She has a thing for apologies, Jake," Trinity said.  
  
"Well, that's fine. You could have just told me in the first place without having someone else have to shut me up."  
  
"Testy, are we?" Amethyst said.  
  
"Freak," Jake said quietly.  
  
Before Jake could walk off, Amethyst hissed back in a perfect imitation of a cat display of annoyance. Jake continued to make her exit, mouthing "freak" under her breath a couple dozen more times. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine," Amethyst said with a smile on her face.  
  
Another voice she didn't know said, "Jake has an affinity for that word. I wouldn't take it personally."  
  
"I won't. And who are you?"  
  
"I'm Link, the operator of the Nebuchadnezzar."  
  
"Pleasure to meet you."  
  
"Likewise."  
  
Code asked what kind of program Morpheus wanted and the two of them went off to discuss what they believed would be the best course of action. He told the others to get some sleep and so Amethyst turned around and did her best to retrace her steps to her bedroom. The others followed her, offering suggestions when she forgot where she was or miscounted her steps, until she made it back to her room. When she asked when she needed to be awake, she was told not to worry about it and that someone would come in to wake her up. After that, she opened the door to her room, stepped carefully in, removed her shoes, and went to her bed, still wearing the same pair of clothing she had arrived in. Sleep didn't come very easily to her, but when it did, she was out cold.  
  
"She's still asleep?"  
  
"Yah."  
  
"Good. Let's get going."  
  
Morpheus started up the hovercraft and carefully began to maneuver it out of the docking bay. Soon enough, they were out of Zion's protective doors and on to find a place to broadcast their signal and hack into the Matrix. While the ship moved, Binary spent her time on a spare terminal, diligently coming up with a very elementary program that she was sure she'd finish within the hour. It was all a matter of beginning light variance schemes and deciding which colors would be best assimilated by her mind with the least amount of shock. She had a bit of help from Code, her counterpart, and spent the better part of three or so hours making sure that it worked properly.  
  
"Hey Jake!" Code called out.  
  
"What?" Jake replied in a faintly irritated voice.  
  
"Want to test a program?"  
  
Jake took a few steps closer. "You know they eat guinea pigs in Mexico?"  
  
"So, that's a no?"  
  
"Pft, yah!" She walked off, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Freak!" she said quietly to herself.  
  
The crew of the Nebuchadnezzar was well on its way before anyone decided to wake Amethyst up. As a matter of fact, Jake, who just happened to be walking by, realized that she hadn't seen the blind girl around anywhere and figured that she was still asleep. So, she went in her bedroom, grabbed a hard, blunt object, walked back over to Amethyst's door, and prepared to make the room inside echo with the force of her blow.  
  
The echo never came. In fact, before Jake could make a sound, the door was flung open to reveal Amethyst, disheveled from her slumber, hissing in a very irritated manner. "I'm blind, not deaf."  
  
"Duh."  
  
No one knew about Amethyst's finger-knives until they heard the sound come from her bedroom as she slowly and methodically ran the knives down the side of the door. The high pitched screech rang past the sleeping quarters, down the hallways, and into almost every area of the ship, affecting everyone but Amethyst who had learned to tune out the noise.  
  
Jake, first to be annoyed and last to try and ignore it, growled as the stormed towards Amethysts room. Walking straight up to Amethyst, she looked square into her closed eyes. "Meh," she muttered with her head cocked to one side. "What in the (insert profanity here) are you doing?"  
  
Amethyst, her voice smooth and cool, replied, "I was going to let you figure that out for yourself, but since you obviously can't I'll tell you. I don't like rude awakenings. Don't try that again."  
  
Jake ignored what she just said. "Well quit whatever it is you are doing!"  
  
"But it's so much fun!" Amethyst replied, smiling broadly.  
  
Just then, Morpheus came down the hallway. "What's going on?"  
  
"She started it!" Jake accused.  
  
"Did not!" Amethyst retorted.  
  
"Yes you did!"  
  
"Don't lie!"  
  
"I'm not lying!"  
  
"Yes you are!"  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Ladies!" Morpheus put in. "I will not have this aboard my ship! Sort this out and let's get back to work." He looked down at Jake and she turned away, rolling her eyes. Then he turned to Amethyst. "Come with me, Amethyst."  
  
Amethyst's smile faded and she let herself be guided away from her bedroom as she followed the sound of Morpheus's footsteps. As she did, she removed the finger-knives from her hands and put them back in the pouch around her neck, hoping that Morpheus had not noticed them. She followed him down the ladder that led to the main deck, remembering how much space she needed to step in between the rungs. After that, he took her to what she figured was the console where they hacked into the Matrix.  
  
"Trinity," Morpheus called out. The woman arrived shortly afterwards with Neo trailing at her heels as usual. The two were inseparable and where one went, the other followed.  
  
"What's up?" she asked.  
  
"I need you to check Amethyst's head plug to see if it's healed enough to take her into the Construct."  
  
"Okay." She walked over to Amethyst. The girl didn't need to be told to stand still. She simply reached back and lifted up her dark brown hair, revealing the bandage that still covered the plug.  
  
Amethyst felt Trinity carefully pull the bandage away from the plug and felt her breath on her neck. Bearing it for the time being, she wondered what it looked like. Oh well, she thought.  
  
Trinity looked carefully at the leathery skin which was healing nicely around the plug. However, she wasn't entirely sure if it was completely healed. She touched the discolored area which had resulted from the surgery and felt it hold. As she did so, she saw Amethyst flinch away from her hand. Amethyst's eyes closed in a wince.  
  
"I'm sorry," Trinity said before she thought about it.  
  
"That's okay," Amethyst replied through gritted teeth. Since the apology wasn't about her being blind, she wasn't annoyed by it. "It's just a little bit raw."  
  
"I can see that." She looked over at Morpheus and said, "It looks like it's healing very well. I'm not sure what would happen if we were to insert her into the Construct since the skin still feels tender."  
  
"Binary's program is ready and Code is through testing it and so I thought that it would be a good time to try it out before we get too much father out." Morpheus turned his attention to Amethyst. "What do you think, Amethyst? Do you think you're ready to try it?"  
  
"There's a plug in my head and it didn't get there by itself."  
  
Neo looked somewhat confused. "So, that's a yes?"  
  
"Uh, yah." 


	4. Chapter 4: The Construct

Chapter 4  
  
"So, this probably isn't going to feel very good."  
  
"No. The first time's the worst, though, and you don't notice it much later on."  
  
"Great."  
  
Amethyst felt a warm hand pressed to her forehead and heard Morpheus say, "Since your plug is still rather tender, we need for you to stay as still as possible."  
  
"I'll try," she replied. However, when she felt the touch of the needle coming in contact with the plug, her whole body tensed and cringed. At that, the needle backed away and she heard a sigh come from above her. "Sorry."  
  
"It's alright." He called Neo and Trinity over and asked them to hold onto her shoulders.  
  
Amethyst felt Trinity's hands on her right shoulder and Neo's on her left. Finally, Morpheus's other hand fell on her chin. "Try to relax," she heard him say and she did her best to.  
  
This time, the needle slid into the plug and had not the three pairs of hands held her down, she surely would have gone berserk. As it was, her hands clasped the armrests in a death grip and her feet pushed up against the footholds. The feeling was the most strange and unnatural thing she had experienced and her mouth would have fallen open had it not been held shut. Her insides seemed to squirm as she sat there and a sickening feeling filled her stomach.  
  
With the push of a button, it all stopped and she felt herself standing up in what felt like a silent room. Everything was still black, though, and her hopes began to fade. She sat down on what she considered to be the floor, put her chin on her hands, and began to pout.  
  
"Nope, it's working," Binary's voice spoke.  
  
"But I still can't see."  
  
"Just give it a minute, Amé. This is what we call the color black. It's what color you see when there is no light. For this session, we'll just have you looking in black and white to show you light variances."  
  
"Fine by me."  
  
Amé and Binary both waited there as light slowly began to filter into the room. With eager anticipation Amethyst started to see dark gray, Binary informing her of what the color was. When the light increased, however, Binary was able to see Amé's residual self-image and this time his jaw dropped.  
  
Amethyst turned as she heard a clicking sound, but she – as usual – didn't see anyone in that direction. Then she heard Binary say, "Something's wrong."  
  
"What is it?" Morpheus said, bu t Amethyst was unable to hear him.  
  
"She has no image."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She looks like blurred figure. It's really weird."  
  
A sigh came from the other end of the phone. "Don't worry about it right now. Just finish the session and we'll figure it out later."  
  
"Alright." The phone clicked shut.  
  
"What is it?" Amé asked.  
  
"Nothing. You're doing fine."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The program continued until the Construct became completely white. Thought it was relatively unexciting for Binary, Amé continued to enjoy every moment. Once it was white, Amé started to see random shapes appear before her: squares, rectangles, circles. These simple two-dimensional objects started to give way to simple three-dimensional shapes such as cubes, spheres, cones, and so forth.  
  
"So that's what they mean by depth."  
  
"Yah."  
  
"Cool."  
  
----------------------  
  
"Hey Code," Jake called out quietly. When the programmer came over, Jake whispered. "What would happen if I went in there with them?"  
  
"Besides Morpheus biting off your head?"  
  
"Well, duh. But who said that was an important factor?"  
  
Code shrugged. "I don't know. I only designed the program to keep Amé from seeing Binary so I'm not sure if you'd be seen by her or not."  
  
"Put me in," Jake said as she started to walk over to a console that was out of Morpheus's line of sight.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just because."  
  
"Fine, but if Morpheus starts to gnaw on my head, it's your butt I'll come looking for."  
  
"Whatever." Jake sat down at the console, and Code hooked her into the program before anyone could stop them. Needless to say, Code left the room running after that.  
  
Once inside Jake saw Amethyst, and as Binary had said, she looked like one big blur. She went around in what she thought was the front of Amethyst. "Freak!" she yelled out loudly, satisfied when Amethyst almost jumped out of her skin.  
  
Amé almost had a heart attack when she first saw Jake, but even though she had never seen her before, she had already planned what she wanted to tell her. "Holy crap! I could have sworn that this was the introduce-blind-person-to-colors program."  
  
"It is."  
  
"Hmm. When you came in I could have sworn this was the training against encounters with hideously ugly people." She smirked as she towered over the short girl.  
  
Amethyst stopped smiling when she saw Jake point a gun at her image. She didn't recognize it because she'd never seen one, but she assumed that it was some dangerous thing. "What is that?"  
  
"It's a gun, moron."  
  
"Oh." Amé started sucking on her bottom lip, not quite sure how to react to it. "Where'd it come from?"  
  
"Uh, me."  
  
"How?" Amethyst heard a ringing sound from close by.  
  
"I don't care. I have a gun and you don't."  
  
"Hey Jake," Binary called out. "Morpheus wants to talk to you."  
  
"So much for fun." The gun in her hand was lowered and started to spin. Then it shrunk and disappeared. Jake took the phone which appeared to be hanging in midair since Binary was cloaked against them. Putting it up to her head she said, "Hello? Ms. Smith speaking."  
  
"What the **** do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Um…analyzing Amé's progress." She said "Ame" as if she were saying "aim."  
  
"Amé," Amethyst corrected.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Do you realize what you could have done to her?" Morpheus continued "She could have gone into a seizure or shock!"  
  
"She looks healthy, though."  
  
"Shutup. I just hope you realize what could have happened."  
  
"Sorry, sir." The line went dead and Jake returned her attention to Amethyst. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem." Amethyst saw Jake's body suddenly go translucent and then disappear. "Jake?"  
  
Soon after, Morpheus appeared in the Construct and once again Amethyst was startled when she saw him appear. Instead of his Zionist gray raiment, he was displaying a suit of the darkest black she had ever seen. Upon the bridge of his nose sat a pair of spectacles with lenses of dark film rather than clear glass as she was accustomed to. She did her best to keep her heart rate under control at the sight of him. She didn't even recognize him until he started to speak. "You can go, Binary," he said, seemingly to open air. Then he spoke to Amethyst. "I apologize for Jake's behavior. She has a little disregard for authority sometimes."  
  
She was going to comment on his appearance, but every question she could think about at the time seemed to be irrelevant. Instead, she decided to try and satisfy her curiosity about Jake. "How come you took her on with your crew?"  
  
"She's the Analyst, and she's very good at her job. If it weren't for that fact, she'd probably be in Zion with all the other people we unplugged." Then he told her, "I've been informed that you have no residual self-image and I see that that is correct."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Every person in the Matrix has their own way of looking at themselves. When they go back into it or the Construct, their mind projects the way they view themselves and we call that projection their residual self image. The odd thing is that you don't have one."  
  
"Oh, really."  
  
"You're basically one big blur."  
  
"So, that's what Binary was talking about."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What can I do about it?"  
  
"I don't know." He pulled a phone out of a pocket and dialed the operator. Link answered and Morpheus requested that he upload a blank Construct platform for them to work on. It was done quickly, but Amethyst was unable to tell that anything had changed since the place still looked like a big white room with no walls or ceiling. "We need a mirror." A full-length mirror appeared. "Step up to it, Amethyst. It'll show you what you look like right now."  
  
Amethyst did so and found herself looking at an image with distorted colors and shapes. "So that's what they mean by 'blurred'."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hmm." She turned back to looking at Morpheus. "How come I look blurred?"  
  
"I'm think that since you've never actually seen yourself, that your mind doesn't know how to project you and so shows you as a blur."  
  
"That would make sense. Is there anything I can do about it?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well…" Amethyst paused. "I'm going to try something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"To make a self image." She didn't have the first clue of where to start, but she figured that if her mind did the projecting, she would just make something up and hope that it transferred out into the Construct. She had only seen two people – Jake and Morpheus – and so had to go by the differences in the way they looked. First, she visualized a general body form with arms, legs, a torso, and a head, and then went on to try and form details that she could remember: five fingers, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and so on. It was rather difficult and so she had to open her eyes to look at Morpheus and try to get a clearer idea of what she needed. She tried to match certain aspects to him such as the curvature of the eyes, the size of the nose, the color of the skin, and the rouge of the lips.  
  
When she had a general idea of what she should look like, she opened her eyes. No sooner had she done that than she heard Morpheus ask her, "How did you do that?"  
  
"Do what?" He pointed to the mirror and she went over to it. Looking at herself, she saw that she had, in fact, turned herself into a copy of the man who stood before her. "Um, that wasn't right, was it?"  
  
"Don't do anything just yet." He pulled out his phone and called Link again. When he answered he then asked to speak with Neo. Once the man was on the phone he said, "I need you to get in here and take a look at something for me."  
  
"Alright. I can see something changed, but I'm not sure what."  
  
"You'll see." He hung up.  
  
Neo appeared a minute or so later in a long, flowing black overcoat and matching black pants. He, too, sported a pair of sunglasses, though his style was a fair bit different and, like with Morpheus, startled Amethyst with his entrance. Neo was also startled to see two Morpheus before him and was only able to tell them apart by their actions and by the voices when Amethyst spoke.  
  
"This is just one big party, isn't it?" Amethyst commented, not sure what else to say.  
  
Morpheus ignored that comment and asked Neo, "Is there a code variance between her and my appearances."  
  
Neo looked carefully past the images and at the code that ran all over their bodies. "On the surface, they're identical. When I look deeper, though, I can see they're different. The code beneath the surface looks jumbled and blurred."  
  
"That's very unusual," Morpheus noted.  
  
"What's unusual?" Amethyst inquired.  
  
"No one's been able to imitate physical appearances. It stands to reason that you could have the ability to change your appearance to emulate anyone you wished."  
  
"Cool," she said quietly. "I want to try it again." Morpheus and Neo decided not to try and stop her, their curiosity overcoming their desire to question her. It took her a few minutes to fit another image in her head, this time using Neo as an example. She had to spend some time looking him over to make sure she had the physical attributes correct, but when she was sure that she did she fitted the image to herself and opened her eyes. She looked over at the mirror and found that she no longer wore Morpheus's visage. Rather, Neo's face stared back her.  
  
"That's not right," she heard the real Neo say.  
  
"Did I screw up on something?" she asked.  
  
"No. It's just that you shouldn't be able to do that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Neo stood there for a moment and then shrugged. Then he said, "I think you need to come up with you own look."  
  
Back on the ship Jake was watching the monitor which displayed the three of them in the program. "Isn't that precious? Now there are two of them!"  
  
"How do you tell them apart, though?"  
  
Jake took on her tone of voice that told everyone else that she would be talking for a while and making fun of others because they hadn't figured it out first. It was the tone of voice that people usually took as the cue to zone out and go back to whatever they were doing. "Hmm…that's interesting…huh!...cool…really?...." The string of words continued while Link watched Neo and Morpheus try to help Amethyst create a body of her own.  
  
After watching the process for a while – and zoning Jake out – Trinity decided to take matters into their own hands. "I think this has gone far enough." She sighed and headed over to yet another console. "Trust men to try and form a woman's figure. That'll be the day." Link and Binary hooked her into the Construct and soon Amethyst was startled by yet another figure. "Men."  
  
Amethyst looked at Trinity. "Are they doing something wrong?"  
  
Trinity looked squarely at Amethyst – who now looked halfway between Neo and a woman's image. "They're men. Of course they're doing something wrong. It's their nature."  
  
"If a man goes into the…" Neo began.  
  
"The answer is yes, now go." Amethyst saw Morpheus and Neo smirk, but they eventually left. Then Trinity looked up and said, "Link, I'm going to need you to upload an image of Amethyst's physical body." Seeming to float in midair, one appeared of Amé reclining in a chair back on the Nebuchadnezzar. "That is what you look like physically."  
  
"Ah, I see." 


	5. Chapter 5: So It Begins

Chapter 5  
  
"Why do they have to look like that?"  
  
"Just because. When you see enough people, you'll know why."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Well, if you want to look like you had your butt surgically removed, it's your funeral."  
  
The better part of an hour was spent trying to get Amethyst's self image looking like her real self. For some reason, the teen was having trouble with specifics but Trinity did her best to explain why certain aspects of her physical appearance were, in fact, necessary. By the time she was satisfied, Trinity wasn't sure if she was more overwhelmed by Amethyst's ability or her need to question or comment on everything she was told.  
  
Amethyst, on the other hand, took it all as a learning experience. The chance to get such information seemed wonderful so that if she were ever in the Matrix she wouldn't have to figure it all out for herself. At the end of the session – as Trinity dictated – she did thank the woman and apologized for being so inquisitive.  
  
"I'm just curious, that's all," she said.  
  
"I know," Trinity replied. "You'll learn more later on."  
  
Amé smiled and was secretively surprised to find how disarming it was against the woman before her. After stashing that bit of information away, she said, "Thank you" again and went on to ask how the program was to be ended.  
  
"You'll know," Trinity replied, "but since this is your first time, when you return to the real world, the connector will still be in the plug."  
  
"Oh, goodie!"  
  
"Just try not to get sick." Trinity well remembered Neo's first experience and hadn't considered that a very fond memory.  
  
"Oh…okay," Amé said nervously. Trinity disappeared and after that, she felt a violent tugging sensation come from out of nowhere. It seemed as if she was thrown back into her real self and soon began to feel the needle still up inside of her head. The same three pairs of hands held her down as before and did so until Code came over and pulled it out.  
  
Amethyst very nearly was sick, and even after the needle had been removed she could still feel it. Her stomach continued to churn as Morpheus encouraged her repeatedly to breathe. It was hard to get herself under control but she followed her new captain's orders and managed to do so after several minutes. When she trusted herself to speak again, she asked, "So the first time is the worst?"  
  
"Yes," Morpheus replied. "After that you know what to expect and so you can prepare yourself for it."  
  
"Sure." Amé sighed and was able to relax into the chair a bit more. She opened her eyes and it seemed even worse to return to her life as a blind. "At least I had some fun in there."  
  
"Well, now we know that it works and you can see in the Construct." Morpheus's voice seemed brighter and more encouraging. "Because of that – and your latent ability – we will start you on some other programs to try and evaluate whether or not we will keep you on as one of our crew."  
  
"Cool. So I might get to go into the Matrix?"  
  
"If you learn well enough, then yes, there is a chance."  
  
Amethyst smiled and silently vowed to do all that she could in order to enter the real thing. She knew that as long as she wasn't required to learn anything like history or math or anything too technologically advanced, she'd be just fine.  
  
"Did you throw up?"  
  
"Yes, and I passed out."  
  
"How come?"  
  
There was a pause. "Stress…and a lack of air…I think."  
  
Amethyst smiled and a quiet laugh came from her throat. "Ah, thinking: the downfall of humanity."  
  
"To a certain extent."  
  
Just then Amethyst heard another person walk into the room. When they came closer Amethyst was able to recognize the smell of Jake infiltrating her nostrils. "Jake! And have you recovered from your recent scolding?"  
  
"Go to ****, Ame." Jake, wondering how the girl could tell it was her said, "That's just freaky."  
  
"What?" Neo asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Amé smiled and continued to force herself to eat. The bowl of crap before her tasted like something she may have thrown up when she was younger, but she decided to try and not think about it. She was told that it was healthy – and all they had – so she didn't complain.  
  
"I don't see why we can't just eat in the Construct," Jake asked.  
  
No one answered her. In fact, some of the people there – Morpheus not being among them – had wondered the same thing, but were a bit more conservative when it came to questioning the way certain things were run on the ship. All of them much preferred life on the Nebuchadnezzar to staying back in Zion.  
  
The rest of the meal consisted of most people asking Amethyst what it was like to be blind. She had heard every question they'd asked before and so did not hesitate when she answered. After a while, she turned the tables and started to ask them certain questions about the Matrix and their lives.  
  
At one point she said, "So, Trinity. How did you and Neo become so close?"  
  
"It's a long story," she replied.  
  
"Well, tell me the punch line."  
  
There was a pause as Trinity collected her thoughts. "Well, to make a long story sort of short, I didn't want him to die and so I told him that I loved him."  
  
"And that did what?"  
  
"The Oracle told me that I'd fall in love with the One and I did. I'm not sure how it brought him back but it did."  
  
"And you've been together ever since."  
  
"Being dead," Neo included, "usually brings people together."  
  
"Dead?"  
  
"I was shot by an Agent about a dozen times and so I died. It wasn't the greatest feeling in the world, to say the least."  
  
"I wouldn't think so. So, Trinity brought you back to life?"  
  
"I think so. I'm still not sure."  
  
Amethyst sat there pondering, but she came to the conclusion that she would never figure out the reasoning and so she stopped. Rather, a new thought popped into her head. "Who's the Oracle?"  
  
"She is a guide," Trinity said, remembering what Morpheus had once said. "She was who made the prophecy about the One."  
  
"Ah." She paused. "So she told you who Neo was?"  
  
"No, but she gave us enough information to find him."  
  
"How many of you have seen her?"  
  
"So far, everyone but you and Link."  
  
"Will I get to meet her?"  
  
"I don't know. It depends on Morpheus's decision, but if he decides to allow you to go into the Matrix, you probably will."  
  
"So, she's in the Matrix?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ah…I see…actually, I don't but you know what I mean."  
  
The questioning went on until it was time for them to return to their sleeping quarters. Then everyone filed out of the room and Link helped to lead Amethyst vocally back to her room. When she had closed the door behind her, she gratefully flopped into bed, remembered she had her shoes on, sat up, took them off, and then slipped under the blankets. This time she had no trouble falling asleep.  
  
"I'm awake."  
  
"We have breakfast first, so you can head down to the mess hall."  
  
"'K."  
  
Amethyst pulled the blankets away from her body and sat up. She felt down at the foot of the bed for her shoes and quickly slipped them on. Reaching into the top drawer of the nearby cupboard, she pulled out a brush and quickly tore it through her hair to try and make it look reasonably presentable. After retying it with a piece of string, she made her way out of the room and slowly felt her way to the mess hall. When she arrived, she was rewarded to hear Morpheus say, "I'm glad you found your way here, Amethyst."  
  
"Thanks," she said before she let out a tremendous yawn. She covered her mouth with her hand and walked over to the nearest seat she knew of. She ended up sitting next to Jake who, when she spoke, sounded too tired to insult her. Amé found that she also was too tired, but she'd see what she could do later on.  
  
Breakfast went very quickly. With very little conversation at all, she ate the bowl of crap quickly and, with Morpheus's instructions, left to head over to the main deck where she was supposed to start her training. Upon arrival, she heard Link say, "You have any trouble getting here?"  
  
"Not much. I almost fell down the ladder when I missed a rung, but I'm okay now."  
  
"Fun." Link led Amé over to one of the consoles. "Do you think you'll be alright today?"  
  
"As long as you don't make me sit here with that spike up my head." Link smiled a smile she couldn't see and moved around behind her. "So what kind of program am I going through this time?"  
  
"I'm supposed to start with a protocols program."  
  
"Goodie."  
  
Without any warning, Link inserted the steel needle into the plug at the base of Amé's head. The girl's entire body tensed and she had to exercise a great deal of self-control to keep her back from arching up. The experience wasn't entirely as unbearable as the first time had been, but it was no more comfortable.  
  
Link quickly made his way back to his seat, pressed a button, and looked over at Amethyst. Her body went temporarily rigid as she began to assimilate the information being crammed into her head. Her eyelids started to flutter and twitch until, several moments later, she opened her eyes with a start. However, they still retained the blank gaze they usually did.  
  
As soon as the program was over and Amethyst came back to reality she immediately began to gasp for air. "Holy crap!"  
  
"Just wait," Link said. "It gets better." He put in another disk and before Amé could say anything else she was thrust back into another program. She came back much the same as before. When she didn't say anything for a time he asked, "Are you okay?"  
  
With an agitated voice Amé replied, "¡Dime cuando tú vas a ponerme en una otra programa!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Freakin' tell me when you're going to put me in another program!" She sighed and in her exasperation she forgot all about the way the plug felt.  
  
"Okay. In case you were wondering, we don't have anyone on board who could function as a full-fledged translator in the Matrix, so Morpheus picked you to do the job."  
  
"Can't everyone else just go through these programs?"  
  
"Well, we typically like to have each person focus on a specific area. For Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity, they have more of an emphasis on combat, weaponry, and stratagem. Jake focuses more on practical subjects since she's the analyst, but she, like everyone else, has to go through her share of combat training. It just hasn't been quite so extensive."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Certain people assimilate certain information better than others. I guess Morpheus heard you have a knack for languages."  
  
"That would be correct."  
  
There was a slight pause. "Ready for French."  
  
"I guess." 


	6. Chapter 6: Agents and Bruises

Chapter 6  
  
---------------------------  
  
"Do you have any ideas of what exactly is inside the Matrix?"  
  
"Battery-powering people…um…I'm not sure what else."  
  
Amethyst and Morpheus weeded their way through a sea of people. Their faces all looked different, but, to the girl, their clothes were all the same: black suits with some white clothing interspersed here and there. Amé found it rather difficult to concentrate while she tried to find spaces through all those who threatened to separate her from her captain. ~That's not gonna happen,~ she resolved and she did her best to keep up with the man who seemed to wade through them so effortlessly.  
  
"While you look around you, you see doctors, architects, pastors, teachers, politicians." He said the last with an obvious air of disdain. "You see men, women, and children. No two people are exactly alike. You will find people who will say they like you or hate you or act as if they like you while they secretively don't. You may think that you can tell an honest person from a liar by the way they sound or look, but there are those who have made a lifestyle out of lying, cheating, stealing, and subverting. Every day you hear about people who have been robbed, beaten, murdered, taken advantage of, or hurt in some way or another."  
  
"Is there no good left in the world?"  
  
Morpheus looked back at her. "Of course there is." He then continued to walk on with his eyes forward. "From time to time a person will be recognized for deeds or achievements. Someone who believes that they make no difference in the world can end up as the savior of another. Strangers help strangers in both direct and indirect ways. However, the world inside of the Matrix has turned into a pessimistic society and people are no longer interested in hearing about the saviors. They find crime and punishment entertaining and ridicule those who try to make the world a better place."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because they believe that it can't be done."  
  
Amethyst followed Morpheus with a split mind. One half of her brain she dedicated to listening to him, while the other was busy mulling over an idea that popped in her head. If people didn't want to hear about any sort of savior, how would they get some people to believe that the Matrix was real and realize the truth. She'd been told that certain people wouldn't want to be unplugged, but she hadn't understood what that had meant.  
  
"…There's one basic thing you need to know."  
  
Now she was able to form a basic understanding, but still the logic behind it didn't quite add up.  
  
"Were you listening to what I just said?" Morpheus asked suddenly. Amethyst looked up the sidewalk she had been staring at. "Or were you looking at the man in the silver suit?"  
  
Amé stopped chewing on her fingernails and looked straight at Morpheus. "I was listening to you."  
  
Morpheus looked like he'd been about to smile but that his smile had been cheated out of him. "Just turn around."  
  
Amethyst turned. Right there in front of her was a pale-skinned man in a crisp silver suit and square-shaped sunglasses. In his right ear was what looked like a piece of thin clear tubing. The black end of a gun barrel was pointed no less than six inches away from her face. It looked surprisingly similar to the one that Jake had pointed at her a couple of days before. Startled by the person's sudden appearance, her self image changed and a moment later Morpheus was looking at an exact copy of the person before Amethyst.  
  
Needless to say Morpheus was shocked by the sudden change. "Change back…right now," he ordered.  
  
Amethyst took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and willed herself to calm down. After she was able to think straight, she pictured her true image. When her eyes opened again, she was once again back to normal. "Sorry," she said in a very repentant tone.  
  
"Freeze it," Morpheus said to the sky. Then everything except for the two of them stopped moving all together; even the lone black bird froze in mid take-off.  
  
Amethyst looked around. "Interesting," she said quietly. Then she looked back at the man who was still holding a gun at her. "Who is this?"  
  
"This is a sentient program that resides within the Matrix. We call them Agents, but they are the most dangerous programs we had encountered there until Neo came along. They can move in and out of any computer system still connected to the Matrix. This is the most important lesson you can learn about the Matrix right now: if you are not one of us, you are one of them."  
  
"What do you mean by 'they can move in and out of any computer system'?"  
  
"If a person hasn't been unplugged, they can potentially be turned into an Agent."  
  
"What's so dangerous about them besides that?"  
  
"They are stronger and faster than anyone except for Neo. They can dodge bullets and punch through a concrete wall. If the body they are using is 'killed,' they have the ability to move to another host."  
  
"Is there any way to get rid of them?"  
  
"Neo did once. However, since that happened, the Agents have kept themselves hidden from us. They are still present, but have remained inactive when Neo enters the Matrix."  
  
"So, as long as we're with Neo, we're fairly safe."  
  
"With the work we do, we're not always together in a group. It makes us conspicuous and is often not quite as efficient."  
  
Amethyst thought for a moment. "It also wouldn't be fair to rely on him all the time, would it?"  
  
"That's right," thought Link as he sat in the real world.  
  
"That is correct," Morpheus replied. He paused again for a couple of seconds. "See you back in the real world."  
  
"So the program's over?"  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Interesting reaction to the Agent."  
  
"What was yours?"  
  
"I returned the courtesy of the Agent and pulled out my own gun. I can do that, you know."  
  
"No kidding," Amethyst replied sarcastically as they walked towards their quarters. In a way, she was now starting to like Jake. The runt had a sense of humor and could, to a certain extent, take a joke. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go on any sort of vacation with Jake, but she wouldn't say no if she had to work with the analyst. She wasn't about to let her know that, though. It was more fun to come up with new ways to insult each other.  
  
Amethyst heard Jake take a step away from her. Before much time had passed, though, Jake turned around and aimed a swipe at Amé's head. "Jake!" she heard Binary call out. The warning was not necessary, though. Amé heard the sound of Jake's arm as it ran through the air and her own hand went up automatically to block it.  
  
Amethyst's right hand eventually clasped around Jake's left wrist, and with her left hand, she pulled on Jake's left shoulder to try and push her down. Jake countered by flipping over and kicking Amé's right leg out from under her. Not one to take defeat lightly, Amethyst swept her left leg around and made to kick Jake's feet forward. Jake, however, was able to see what her opponent was doing and jumped out of harms way. "Not too bad for a freak."  
  
"Thanks," Amethyst replied, but she let no emotion show on her face as she accepted the complement. She then entered her bedroom and laid down, ready to sleep after a couple of hours of combat training. As she rested on her bed, she thought with a smile, ~I can kick the crap out of people! That's cool!~  
  
Binary, on the other hand, wasn't sure if she should tell someone what he just witnessed or let it lie. The whole mock-fight was over before he had the chance to try and interfere, but when it did end, he then realized that it had all been just a hoax. At that, he decided that he was too tired to try and find someone to inform and went off to go and sleep.  
  
"That's a long way down, sir."  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
"Great."  
  
Amethyst looked across the open space between the skyscrapers of the jump program as she and Morpheus backed away from the ledge. "And this is supposed to do what?"  
  
"We are all born into a world where we grow accustomed to certain rules, rules like gravity. In the Matrix, some of these rules can be bent, while others can be broken. In the real world, you may only be able to jump five or six feet. This program is designed to free your mind. You have to let go of what you've been taught and have believed." He spoke slower, "Free your mind."  
  
With that he turned and ran towards the edge of the building. ~That's impossible,~ she told herself when she saw Morpheus about to jump. Nonetheless, Morpheus's jump carried him across the expanse and onto the roof of the other building. Amethyst could hear the sound of the brick from the other roof break under his landing. Rather quickly, she reconsidered her definition of impossible. ~Maybe not.~  
  
Once she'd seen it, Amethyst knew that it could be done. She had no reason to doubt what she just saw and so prepared herself to take her first jump. Backing up a good twenty feet away from the ledge, she focused her mind towards the task at hand and began to run. She kept her eyes in Morpheus's direction and trusted on her peripheral vision and instincts to make the jump. Her judgement turned out wrong. As she reached the ledge, she lifted up her leg and was about to push off, but she miscalculated and ended up stepping on open air. ~Crap,~ she thought quickly to herself before her other foot caught on the railing and she began to tumble down towards the street.  
  
Had she not been overwhelmed by a wave of fear she might have found the experience pleasant but such was not the case. With building panic – and a high-pitched scream – she saw the gray street below slowly become larger and a great deal closer. Having fallen so close to the building, she did at one point manage to hit a protruding flag pole on the way down which certainly did not add to her present state. When she was about to hit the street, her eyes closed and she felt the panic recede to be replaced by a feeling of hopelessness.  
  
However, she didn't feel the usual pain of impact. Rather, she felt her descent being rapidly slowed and then reversed. Her eyes opened again and she saw herself coming up out of the street itself and being thrust into the air. This time her instincts actually took hold and she managed to quickly right herself with a few jerky movements so that when gravity kicked in again she was able to land on her feet. The impact caused her fall forward slightly, but then she regained her balance and was able to stand up straight.  
  
~Stupid!~ she chided as her body shook and she thought about the mistake she'd made that could have been avoided had she been thinking sensibly. Then she felt herself being pulled back into the real world and woke up with Code at her side. The woman pulled the needle out of Amé's plug and Amethyst started to sit up. As she did, though, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach muscles. She felt around that area and soon felt the bruise from the flagpole that was already starting to change color rather quickly. "That's going to hurt for a while," she whispered to herself.  
  
"Nice color," Jake said, not actually admiring the wound.  
  
"Want one on your face?" Amé retorted, wincing as she touched the purple patch on her skin. Before more could be said, Trinity started to lead Amethyst back to her room, saying something about trying to find something cold to put on it to help keep the bruise from spreading out too much. After Trinity left Amethyst with a freezing cold cloth plastered to her stomach, Amé laid on her bed and thought again of just how stupid her mistake was. Not in the mood to talk at that point in time, she covered the lower half of her body with her blankets, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep.  
  
~Next time,~ she promised to herself. ~Next time I'll do it.~ 


	7. Chapter 7: Attempt at Advice

Chapter 7The Matrix  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"No."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Because I'm stupid."  
  
"Because you made a mistake."  
  
"A stupid mistake."  
  
Neo put his hand on Amethyst's shoulder. "It was just a miscalculation." The girl let out a dejected sigh. "You've been able to see for three days now. It only makes sense that it would be hard for you to judge that jump."  
  
"I did pretty well in my other programs."  
  
"You know," he said quietly, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. You could have been nervous, that's all."  
  
Amé thought back and remembered frequent occasions where she didn't exactly feel nervous but her heart raced and her breathing grew deeper automatically. It was a feeling that she despised. "Did you trip over the side of the building?"  
  
"No, but I fell nonetheless."  
  
"D'you hit a flagpole on the way down?"  
  
Neo sniggered. "No, I didn't, but I'd be chewing the butt off of the programmer if he was still alive."  
  
"You knew him?"  
  
"Sort of. He died shortly after I was disconnected from the Matrix."  
  
"I'm sorry." There was a pause that Amé found very uncomfortable. As she tried to think of something to say, her mind reverted to thinking of the jump. "Thanks for coming."  
  
"We can try again tomorrow," he said encouragingly. Then he stood back up, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "Let's go eat."  
  
After wiping her leftover tears on her pillow, she stood up and followed the footsteps out of her bedroom. As they walked through the ship, she listened to the words that Neo spoke. "In the Matrix, there's no room for error so these programs are good for keeping us sharp. There's a particular mindset you have to have in there."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"You have to consider every person not unplugged a threat. You have to constantly keep ways of escaping where you're at in your head. You need to be able to tell if you're walking into a hostile situation or if one is already around you. You'll see if Morpheus allows you to go in."  
  
"Do you think he will?"  
  
"I can't speak for him."  
  
Amethyst paused again. "Would you let me?"  
  
"That would depend on the situation. I honestly don't know yet. You've only been on board for a few days."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
A short time later, Amethyst was once more sitting with the rest of the crew. In front of her sat another menacing bowl of crap.  
  
----------------  
  
  
  
"Your performance these last several days has been exceptional."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
"I believe that if you intend to become a full member of my crew, you will eventually need to become at least somewhat exposed to the Matrix."  
  
Amethyst didn't show her jubilee on her face but at those words, her heart began to race in anticipation. "So you're allowing me to go in?"  
  
"On one condition: you will not question my or anyone else of my crew's judgments. Whatever they say, you will do. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Perfectly clear."  
  
"Very well. In two days, after you finish your training, we will take you to see the Oracle."  
  
"Thank you, Captain." After Morpheus left Amé just about went berserk. Had she been able to see, she would have run around the ship and told everyone before going back and trying to finish her training within the hour. She had already learned Spanish, French, German, Russian, Mandarin, Swedish, Arabic, and Swahili, and had ended her first days with splitting headaches. The combat training she underwent helped a little to relieve her stress, but nothing – besides what she had just been told – could have made her happier than to simply go back to her room and sleep for a long time.  
  
Instead, she walked back to the consoles where Neo was waiting for her. He could tell how she was feeling even before she opened her mouth. "So, he told you?"  
  
"Two days!" she replied, trying not to shout it too loudly.  
  
"Then we have to work pretty fast."  
  
"I'll try to keep up."  
  
Amethyst was almost able to tolerate the steel rod now, thought it still made her insides churn every time it was slid into the plug. A button was pressed and she soon saw the Construct come up, once again the plain white as it had been the first time. "Remind me again what we're doing exactly," she said to Neo who was already in.  
  
"I want to see if you can change not only your outward appearance, but also the internal code. I feel that if you can do that, not even an Agent could tell that you were human."  
  
"That's one reason. Let's get started."  
  
They spent about two and a half hours in the Construct, utilizing both Neo's ability to see the code and Amethyst's active imagination. When they were finished, she was able to replicate Neo's fingers almost perfectly. Even thought it was only a hand, it was at least a start and they could work to progress later on.  
  
When Amethyst was released, she wondered over to the mess hall, forced down a bowl of crap, and asked if someone would help her to her room.  
  
"Blow a gasket in the Construct?" Jake asked.  
  
"Get downsized by a jealous dwarf?"  
  
"Braindead."  
  
"Dwarf."  
  
"That's original."  
  
"Pigmy!"  
  
"Better a Pigmy than an Amazon!"  
  
"Runt!"  
  
"Freak!"  
  
"Ladies!" Binary was no in the mood to stop a fight now. "Quit now or I will report this." Morpheus was currently in the cockpit, piloting the ship through the endless series of sewers and other tunnels that existed as their world.  
  
"Binary! You wouldn't," Jake said, her voice lathered with sarcasm.  
  
"Cool it, I mean it."  
  
Jake started to leave the room and Amé heard her whisper something that ended with something that sounded like "-nut." She once again ignored it.  
  
"I'll go with you," Code offered.  
  
"You're too kind."  
  
Amé was glad to have code with her to help her avoid collisions with three walls, a ladder, and her own doorway. As soon as she made it to her bed, she immediately buried her face in her pillow and fell asleep.  
  
----------------  
  
"I think something's wrong."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I can see you clearly, but everything else is…I think it's the code."  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
"Everything's green and everything's moving. It looks like that code you showed me." She looked around. "I see the telephone, too, but that's it."  
  
Before the questions could start flying, Neo said, "We're running out of time. We need to get to the target as soon as possible." He turned to Amé. "Can you see well enough to move around?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Alright. Let's go."  
  
As they were leaving, Morpheus handed her a small red capsule. "Take this."  
  
Amé did as she was told and did not question his order, and then she followed everyone out of what seemed to be the door. She looked at it as they walked by and was surprised to see that it grew thin when she was directly beside it, only to grow thin when she was directly beside it, only to find it grow in size once more once she passed by. ~Depth,~ she thought.  
  
Her full attention eventually became centered on watching the others to make sure that she didn't lose them when they turned a corner or went through a doorway. She put her hand to one of the walls at one point in time and could feel the paint peeling off of the cold stone. Not knowing what paint was – or stone – she tried to peel off a flake that stuck out. When she held it, though, she could still only see the Matrix code, now unmoving in her hand. ~This is not right.~  
  
The car ride was a unique experience for her. In a certain sense, she felt almost as blind as she was in the real world. Every other sense but sight seemed to work just fine. While she talked with the others, she pointed that out. "If I closed my eyes, I could probably do just as well as I do in Zion."  
  
"But one of us would have to lead you around constantly," Trinity commented.  
  
"True." She would have enjoyed the ride further had her senses not been in conflict with one another. She could see the car's leather upholstery and felt the soft foam cushion underneath. Beyond the view of the car's windows great blotches of code moved around; People, she concluded. After several minutes, she gave up on trying to sort out what was among the writing and simply changed her self image so that her sunglasses were slightly larger and entirely opaque so as to limit her view as much as possible.  
  
With her eyes closed she asked Morpheus, "How long until we get to the school?"  
  
"We're going to the Oracle first."  
  
"Alright."  
  
It took them about twenty minutes to arrive at the correct building. When they exited the car, Trinity asked, "Why are your glasses so dark?"  
  
"It's too hard to look around and only see the code. It was messing with my head." She noticed out of the corner of her right eye that Trinity nodded. "I think it'd be easier, right now, to just keep my eyes closed and follow you."  
  
"Okay."  
  
With her eyes closed, she heard two people start walking ahead of her and felt what she thought was Trinity's hand on her left shoulder. "We'll be back in about thirty minutes," she heard Morpheus tell Binary, who stayed behind with the car.  
  
Upon entering the building, Amethyst immediately started to feel ill at ease. The footfalls of their group made no echo whatsoever to close Amé as to where the walls on either side of her were or if they were in a hallway of some sort. She momentarily moved the glasses on her face to see that they were, in fact, in a hall that seemed to have quite a few obstructions (doors) on either side. She shut her eyes again.  
  
They took a trip up what she recognized as an elevator. Upon stepping off, she walked with them up to a doorway. "Is this it?" she asked.  
  
"I can only show you the door," Morpheus said metaphorically. "You're the one who has to walk through it."  
  
Reluctantly, Amethyst removed her glasses and reached down for what she thought was the door handle. Before she could turn it, though, the door was flung open and another woman stood before them. Amethyst could only see the make-up of her encoded form, but the others saw a tall, dark-skinned woman with long wavy black hair. "Hello Morpheus," she said in a pleasant voice. "We weren't expecting you."  
  
"I brought one of my crew members. Her name is Amethyst."  
  
Amé looked over at Neo. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that he looked confused. Had she been able to read his thoughts, she would have heard him think, ~How could the Oracle not have known?~ He let the thought drop, though, realizing that thinking too much on something related to the Oracle eventually produced a large headache and a world of confusion.  
  
"I'll tell her you've arrived," the woman responded. "You may wait here." She gently ushered Amethyst through the door. The girl put her sunglasses back on before the onslaught of intense vertigo took over. The woman took her into a room where, when she summoned the will to look, contained three children and another woman who was, in fact, two years younger than her.  
  
No one spoke to her.  
  
Eventually, each person followed the tall lady into another room, only to emerge a couple of minutes later and exit through the door Amé had entered. After the other teen left the room, Amethyst was alone and so took the time to try and adjust to her condition. At first she felt for one wall and slumped down against it, eventually sitting in a cross-legged position.  
  
Very slowly she removed her sunglasses. With her head leaning back, she watched the symbols of the code cascade down over everything. In certain parts of the room it looked like the code seemed more concentrated. ~Depth,~ she thought.  
  
She also noticed that the code always cascaded downwards. Trying to make a connection, she realized that the "gravity" of the Matrix was what caused it. Taking some liberty with the information she had acquired, she reasoned that since the code went down, anything still connected to the Matrix would be subject to its rules of gravity. Since Neo was the One – and disconnected from the Mainframe – it only made sense that he could bend and break such rules. Jake must have figured out a way – probably without knowing she had made the discovery – to change…no, alter the codes…no, add her own codes to make whatever she wanted appear.  
  
While her mind went off on a tangent, she abruptly caught her thoughts wandering and brought herself back to the task at hand. She continued to look around the room and when she thought that she could identify a chair she stood up and started to walk towards it. Fighting a wave of vertigo, she made sure to walk slowly and carefully so as to not run into anything.  
  
Upon reaching the chair, Amethyst placed her hands on the smooth wooded pegs at the top of the frame. The feeling was unlike anything else she'd ever felt as there was no wood in Zion, only metal. She wished that she could see what it was so that she could put a picture with the feeling. Unable to do so, she looked at the code and did her best to try and commit the cascading pattern of symbols to memory.  
  
While her mind worked the tall woman reentered the room and interrupted her thoughts. "The Oracle will see you now."  
  
Amé turned too fast and almost fell over. She held onto the chair for support until she felt that she could trust herself to walk forward. Cautiously, she did her best to retrace her steps and not hit anything as she made her way over to the blur of quickly moving code. It was a chore trying to follow her through the next door.  
  
When they were through, though, they were stopped. Amethyst heard the lady's footsteps walking away from her. From in front of her she heard a male voice say, "Who are you?"  
  
"Kavel Drogen," she replied, "but I'm known as Amethyst."  
  
"Where did you originate?"  
  
"I'm from Zion." She found the man's voice very pleasant. His Asian accent made her wonder what part of the world he came from.  
  
"Then I must apologize."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"This."  
  
Amethyst's glasses flew from her face as the blow was dealt to the right side of her head. Her pain reaction seemed ever so slightly delayed until she was kicked in the right shin. As she went down she cried out, "Stop!"  
  
Her assailant paused. "Who are you?" he asked again.  
  
"I already told you my name. It just so happens to be that I'm blind!" The man didn't reply. She picked up her glasses and stood up, but before she put them on she saw her attacker. Instead of lines of code as his body should have appeared, his makeup was bright gold and ran all around and through him. "Who are you?"  
  
"If you are blind, you could not see your glasses," the man replied.  
  
"I can see people who have been disconnected and things we hack," Amethyst explained. "Other than that, all I can see is the code."  
  
The man silently contemplated the situation. After a time he said, "My name is Seraph. Since you came with the One, I will you take you to see her."  
  
"Thanks," Amé said quietly. Before she put her sunglasses back on she saw Seraph off her a hand. Gratefully she took it and let him lead her though another door which he opened with a key. As soon as the door opened she could smell something sweet and could feel a rush of heat come towards her.  
  
"So," said an elderly female voice, "you're Amethyst."  
  
"Yes," Amé replied.  
  
"And you were born in Zion?"  
  
"That is correct."  
  
The Oracle sighed and Amethyst heard her start to pace. Personally, it annoyed the heck out of her, but she figured that it wouldn't be wise to say something about it. Rather, she stood there and waited for the woman to say something first.  
  
"I did not expect to see someone from Zion," she said. The teen agreed. "You've probably been told that I'm some sort of fortune-teller. You can believe that if you want." Another pause. After a time, though, she stopped pacing and sat down next to Amé. "Take your glasses off."  
  
Amethyst took them off, though, reluctantly. When she looked at the Oracle she saw the bundle of code that made her up. She saw, though, the same strange movement of the symbols as she had with Seraph. With that she started to doubt her whole gravity theory. "Are you human?"  
  
"No," she replied honestly. The Oracle didn't seem interested in the question, though, but instead peered closer towards the girl. "I see where you got your name."  
  
"I was told that their color was caused by the disease that-"  
  
"If," the Oracle interjected sharply, "you wish to survive, you're going to have to learn."  
  
"Learn what?" Amé asked tentatively.  
  
"You already know what you need to learn." Amethyst was about ready to deny that statement, but she was cut off again. "You know."  
  
"The code," Amé replied, the answer suddenly coming up from out of nowhere.  
  
"Bingo. It looks like we're dealing with someone with at least a half a brain." Amé didn't respond, knowing by the tone of voice that she was simply being sarcastic. "Morpheus no doubt made you his translator since Apoc died. That should be a good thing."  
  
At the Oracle's advice, Amethyst made herself determined to figure out as much about the code as quickly as possible. She made a note to ask Neo or someone else to help her learn it. As she watched the two entities before her, she began to peruse through the symbols and tried to see if she could find any sort of pattern.  
  
"You will probably be working with Burgundy as well. I suggest you find some way to get along. Also, listen to what she says because she won't always try to get you in trouble."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Amé heard her sigh. "There's not much advice I can give you."  
  
"Do you want me to go, then?"  
  
"You can stay if you want, but you know what would happen if you didn't."  
  
"I'd get my butt chewed off, I know." She turned to go but was stopped when the Oracle spoke again. She turned to go but was stopped when the Oracle spoke again.  
  
"One more thing." The voice was very serious. "If the prophecy is to be fulfilled, you must never tell Neo or anyone else what you saw or heard. He has to figure it out on his own. Just tell him I'll be contacting him again."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Amethyst continued to head out the door, her glasses off and her steps measured. Her eyes looked straight ahead as she tried to use her peripheral vision. It didn't work extremely well, but it was enough to keep her from falling on her face and breaking something she was sure she'd need in the future. When she walked past the second door and into the hallway where the other three waited, the look on her face was both pensive and alert at the same time. She said nothing and no questions were asked of her.  
  
When Morpheus turned around, she knew that it was time to go. They had no time to lose if they wanted to get to the school when they had originally planned.  
  
(Continued in the Joint Fic "Burgundy and Amethyst") 


End file.
